Vince Carter

Carter is entering his 17th season. Last season, he averaged 11.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks in 24 minutes per game through 81 games. He shot 41 percent from the field on 10.0 attempts per game, 39 percent from deep on 4.6 attempts per game...

After seeing his scoring decline each of the previous four seasons, Carter reversed the trend in 2012-13, mostly on the strength of his best proficiency from three-point range since his heyday with the Raptors. No longer a player that willingly attacks the rim, Carter now makes his living almost entirely from the outside, with nearly half of his shot attempts coming from three-point land last season. Carter's 162 threes (2.0 per game) vaulted his scoring up from 10.1 to 13.4 points per game, while the 36-year-old also chipped in 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.9 steals, all of which were improvements from his averages from his first season in Dallas. As the Mavericks' sixth man, Carter doesn't receive the minutes some of the other top fantasy options at his position receive to rack up gaudy totals in most categories, but his lower turnover rate and solid three-point production helps cover for some of those deficiencies.

2012-13

Carter is no longer the player he was when he entered the league but his professionalism has earned him the respect of his teammates. He yo-yoed in and out of the starting lineup and finished the year with a career low in scoring, averaging 10.1 points per game. There is a small silver lining in those numbers, however. Carter averaged more points as a sub than a starter, and with OJ Mayo aboard expect VC to join the second unit on a more permanent basis.

2011-12

Carter’s status with the Suns will remain up in the air until the lockout is lifted. The Suns have the option of picking up Carter’s $18 million salary or cutting him and paying him $4 million to go away. Although he struggled with both the Magic and Suns for most of last season, both Carter and the Suns agreed to postpone the decision until whenever the lockout gets lifted and real free agency begins, giving the team an opportunity to view the value of Carter’s contract within the structure of what will be the new collective bargaining agreement. As such, it’s believed the Suns’ initial plans were to cut Carter and make him an unrestricted free agent. Whether he plays for the Suns or a contending team next season, at 34, Carter’s days as a dominant starting shooting guard are behind him.

2010-11

As far as draft value goes, Carter's a player who could go either way. Some fantasy owners, still under the impression that Carter is a mortal lock for 20-plus points, six rebounds, and four assists per game, might go after him in the fourth or fifth round. Others, who've essentially written off the man formerly known as Air Canada, might not consider him an option at all. The truth, of course, lies somewhere in between. With steady declines across the board last season, Carter ultimately ended up as something like an eighth-round talent. After averaging only 30.8 minutes per game last season – and with little reason to see either that or his offensive load, in general, expanding – Carter profiles similarly this season. Of note is the guard's increase in free-throw percentage last season, up to 84.0 from his career average of 79.9. If he can keep that gain, it makes him a net plus in that category.

2009-10

While he isn’t the freakishly athletic and explosive athlete he used to be, Carter still has plenty of game left to go around. Carter deserves credit for playing out last season and maintaining a high level of production while on a losing squad. Motivation should not be an issue for him this season as he chases his first NBA Championship with the Orlando Magic. The Magic won’t skip a beat as Carter will step in to fill the void at small forward previously filled by Hedo Turkoglu, who bolted for the comforts of Toronto. Although Carter won’t feel as pressured to carry the offensive burden with more than capable scorers in Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis by his side, his usage rate should remain about the same. His scoring average will likely drop, but it will be at least somewhat offset by an increase in shooting efficiency and three-pointers made – a perk of playing alongside a dominant big man like Howard. Carter has missed just 11 games over the past four seasons, so durability is not a major concern.

2008-09

Carter is coming off of his lowest scoring output (21.3 ppg) since coming to New Jersey, but he still quietly had a very good season with new personal bests in assists (5.1 apg) and rebounds (6.0 rpg) as well as one of his better shooting seasons (45.6% FG, 81.6% FT). He enters 2008-09 in an entirely different situation, though, with running mates Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson now making their homes on other teams. Carter now finds himself as the centerpiece of a rebuilding team, which means that his scoring is likely to go up at the expense of his assists and field-goal percentage. Carter has been healthy and motivated ever since he joined the Nets, having missed only nine games over his almost four years in Jersey (after missing 23 games per year over his final three in Toronto). This is the first time since he has been there, though, that the Nets don’t look to be playoff contenders, so it bears watching to see if Carter loses interest and starts going through the motions the way he did in Toronto when they fell out of contention.

2007-08

Last season may have been the best all-around performance of Carter’s storied career. He posted new career highs in rebounds (6.0) and assists (4.8) and new five-year highs in field-goal percentage and threes made. Cynics will call his performance a product of his drive for a new contract, but that would be, well, cynical – his numbers were very much in line with what he’s done since arriving in New Jersey, and probably relate more to Jason Kidd than anything else. With his shiny new contract, and with Kidd and Richard Jefferson still around to run the offense and draw defenses, it seems reasonable to expect another very solid year of “Vinsanity.”

2006-07

Carter turned in another very strong fantasy performance for the Nets last season, showing that he could coexist statistically with a healthy Richard Jefferson while still posting strong numbers almost across the board. His 24.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, and 4.3 apg put him among the elite at his position in all three categories. He also made solid defensive contributions (almost two combined steals/blocks per game), knocked down a difference-making 1.6 3-pointers game, and shot a strong 80% from the line (7.6 FTA per game). At 29 years-old Vinsanity should still be in his prime, with his explosive leaping ability and quick first step still intact. Carter has the tools and system in-place to post another strong season this year as long as his old nemeses like injuries or focus (recently publicized divorce, possible upcoming free agency) don’t sneak in to derail him.

2005-06

After sleepwalking through a couple of injury-filled seasons, Carter used a midseason trade to the Nets as motivation to regain the all-world form that once earned him the “Next Jordan” mantle. In 57 games with the Nets, Carter averaged 27.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.5 steals, while shooting 46.2% from the field, 42.5% from downtown (making 1.9 3s/game) and 81.7% from the line on 6.8 attempts per game. These stats would have made him the best all-around shooting guard in fantasy ahead of Kobe Bryant (FG%) and Dwyane Wade (3-pointers), both of whom have a fantasy weakness. Perhaps the most important stat of all for Carter as a member of the Nets: zero games missed due to injury, after missing an average of 23 games/year over the previous three seasons with the Raptors. If healthy and motivated, the 6-6 Carter is still arguably the most athletically gifted player in the NBA. His combination of outside shooting touch, a quick first step and insane jumping ability make him an impossible matchup. Carter could lose some offensive touches this season while playing next to a healthy Richard Jefferson, but he will still undoubtedly be the primary scoring option on a team that will depend on their wings to carry the offense. Plus, playing with arguably the best distributing point guard of this generation in Jason Kidd should help get him plenty of offensive touches in good position to score.

2004-05

Carter is more injury-prone than most other marquee names in the NBA. Just on that premise alone, fantasy owners should lower Carter a notch or two on their cheat sheets. After apparently pushing for a trade to the Knicks in the offseason, Carter might become disgruntled once the Raptors fail to win games at a pace of his liking. Injuries and trade demands aside, Carter has the potential to be one of fantasy basketball’s best players on any given week. Carter is a gunslinger, in every essence of the word. When healthy, Carter can rival Pierce in terms of stats. But when he’s injured, you might regret spending such a high pick on a player sitting on your bench. Still, Carter should go somewhere between the late second to late third round in most fantasy leagues. If he falls any lower, take the chance on landing a potential stud in fourth or fifth round of your draft and hope he finds a way to stay healthy for most of the year.

2003-04

Carter suffered through another injury-plagued campaign, playing in only 43 games and posting the worst averages since he was a rookie (20.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.3 APG). He's now a high risk-high reward fantasy player -- if he's healthy he'll be a steal, but if he's not you'll end up overpaying for what you get. Tread cautiously.